The Gift (Edited Version)
by Purple Satin
Summary: C B have been married for 3 months and are trying to settle into life as newly weds, but things have never been easy for them. Rick is returning from a book tour early as a surprise for her. Could Kate have a surprise for him as well?
1. Chapter 1

Gift Chapter 1 Suspicions

Kate laid her head on her desk, but looked up as she heard footsteps approaching. Espo set  
her usual latte down on her desk and her stomach did a flip-flop. Immediately, she was retching in the trash can.

"Yo! What's up, Kate? " She gave Espo the look that she normally gave Castle when she was annoyed with him. Now, Castle junior was the one being annoying.

"Ok. So this is about you missing Castle. When will he be back? Does he know that you're sick?" Javi questioned.

"It was a 14 day tour, so he should be back sometime tomorrow. And no, he doesn't know I've been feeling bad. I didn't want to worry him while he's out-of-town. Look, you guys are worrying over nothing. I'm fine." Kate answered.

"No. You are NOT fine , but whatever is going on with you, why don't you take the rest of the day off? There's no active murder cases to work on and we all have the next 2 days off . If anything pops that we can't handle , we 'll call you." Javi said. Kate considered this. True, she was very tired and had just puked her guts up in the trash can and if she had caught some virus or something, she didn't want to share it with the entire precinct. Still, it meant going home to the empty loft.

Finally she said," Ok, but only if you promise to call if you need me." she agreed.

"Yeah,"Yeah, Yeah, l" Kevin said. She got up, put on her coat and grabbed her bag. As the elevator doors opened, she heard Ryan say, "Yeah . She's pregnant." She got on the elevator and before the doors closed again ,she said loudly, "Shuttttt Upppp!" When she arrived at the street, her cell phone rang. Lanie.

"Hey, Lanie. What's up?"

"Katherine Houghton Beckett Castle, get your ass down here! We'll talk when you get here."

Twenty minutes later, she pushed through the door to the lab at O.C.M.E. "Ok, Lanie. I'm here. What's so important that I had to get down here? I was on my way home…"

Lanie straightened up from the desk she had been leaning over. "I know. Javi called and said that you're sick. So, what's going on?"

Kate sighed, "It's nothing. I just miss Castle, that's all. It's like I can't sleep without him, so I guess I'm a l ittle tired."

"You're being tired has you puking your brains up in trash cans? Hmmm. That's a new one," Lanie said .

"I'm sure its nothing. I probably caught a virus or something," Kate replied.

"OK, Kate. Let's check it out. What are your symptoms?" Lanie asked.

"OK. Fine! I'm very tired , nauseous at times, and whenever I stand, I get dizzy."

"Uh huh.", Lanie said , reaching for her stethoscope . She took Kate's vital signs and after a few minutes, said, "Your blood pressure is a little elevated, but not enough to be concerned about and that probably is stress related. Everything else seems to be fine. You don't have a temperature, so you're not contagious. There's a pharmacy near the loft, right?"

"Yeah. Just up the block. Why? " Kate asked.

"Because my advice to you is to stop on your way home and buy 3 home pregnancy tests…"

"Lanie! Not you, too.! I am not preg…."

"Girl, please. Three months ago, you and Castle had a fairy tale wedding, a honeymoon in THE most romantic spot on the planet, don' t tell me you two weren't doing it like The Energizer bunnies… ."

Kate's jaw dropped. "Lanie! "

"What? Are you going to deny it?"

Kate dropped her head. "No…. Lanie, I'm not pregnant. I"ve been on the Depo shot since I was 19."

"Kate, that doesn't mean anything. Although, it's rare, there have been a few reports of women getting pregnant in between injections. You 've never had a hysterectomy and I'm pretty sure you two didn't abstain from sex."

"No, Lanie ! It was our honeymoon! It's just that we agreed not to have kids for a year or two. It's too soon."

"Excuse me? Assuming you are pregnant, you wouldn't be the first woman to get that way on her honeymoon and I'm pretty sure you won't be the last.

"Ok. We don' t know for sure I know, Lanie" .


	2. Chapter 2 Rick's Journey

Chapter 2 Rick's Journey

Rick sat in the American Airlines terminal at D.F.W . International in Dallas, Texas, waiting to

board the flight home. A day early. Kate wasn't expecting him home until tomorrow evening. It  
had been a very long two weeks. True, they had been separated for longer periods of time, but that had been over a year ago and it was different now , somehow.

He had run late , but had called her this morning and they had talked briefly . He had not told her that he had cancelled the Chicago end of the trip that would bring him home early as a surprise to her.

He normally called her again at noon and then at night , but not today. He wondered if on his way home he should stop at the florist , but decided that would take too much time . He glanced at his watch again . It was 3:30 p.m. With a three-hour flight , he should arrive home just shortly after she got in from work. Perfect!

At last, they announced his flight and he could not wait to get home.

As he settled in for the flight , his thoughts remained on Kate , imagining her surprise , seeing her beautiful smile that totally rocked his world and lit up the darkest night. God, how he had missed her!

He could hardly wait to hold her and kiss her , and just love her. How the hell had he gotten so lucky to finally have her? But the important thing was that she loved him as much as he loved her. totally. unconditionally , completely. He had loved her for years and now to have her love him was like receiving a rare gift. Things had not always been easy between them.

The plane taxied down the runway and a few minutes later had leveled off and he was on his way home to Kate. His thoughts took another track and he became reflective.

When his college buddies had started getting married, Rick had scoffed. He hadn't believed in love , really. He had never known anyone in love. Love had never come to his mother, although, she claimed otherwise, but none of her marriages ever worked out. Then, he met Kyra and it wasn't long before he felt himself falling in love.

They were together nearly 3 years and in those 3 years he had almost proposed twice. But if he brought up the topic, she shut him down telling him that marriage was a Jurassic institution so he would drop the subject.

Then one night, had called him and asked him to meet her at Grand Central Station . When he arrived she told him that she needed space and was going to London. She promised to write and said that it wasn't going to be forever. It was with a heavy, broken heart that he danced one last dance with her and kissed her good-bye.

For 15 long months, he had checked the mail religiously, jumped every time the phone rang. Of course, it was never Kyra. His mother had encouraged him to move on, meet and fall in love with someone else , but it was not that simple. At least, not for him.

He found a bar in Times Square named 'The Old Haunt' and it was there that he started spending most of his time , drinking and writing. He made a few friends there and he never lacked female companionship , but they were no more than one night stands.

Kyra had been gone for two years when his mother had approached him and asked him to come to an off-Broadway play she was in. There was a lovely , young red -head in the cast that he must meet.

So, to please her, he had gone along. Meredith was a red-headed bombshell , drop dead gorgeous and they went out a few times, started dating, but Rick's heart wasn't in it . He considered her as a friend , nothing more, and he told her that. She had agreed.

But one night after they had been seeing each other for 3 months, they wound up at her place for a night-cap. They had been drinking most of the evening and Rick's brain was clouded with alcohol w she made her move on him. Being more than a little drunk, and being a red-blooded American guy, he succumbed to her advances . They had mind-blowing sex , but that was all it was to Rick. He liked Meredith, but he didn't love her.

Three months after they had slept together, Meredith had announced that she was pregnant and wanted to know what he planned on doing about it.

A shocked and confused Rick had told her he needed time to think about it. She had lashed out that he had better decide quickly. He had kept his distance from her to mull this all out and decide what to do.

At the end of the week, he had decided to marry her. It was the right thing to do. Maybe he could learn to love her. The next week, they were married at City Hall and life became a living hell for Rick.

As hard as he tried to care for and be the best husband he could be for Meredith, it was never enough. They fought and argued all the time and over everything.

His mother had witnessed some of this and had told him one night , "Richard, this is madness. You don't love each other. Get an annulment!" "I can't, mother . She's pregnant." "Richard, think about the effect all this fighting is going to do to that child , not to mention that you don't love each other. Think of the child." And with that, she had left.

But he had stayed and kept trying to make things work with Meredith. In her rages, she slammed the bedroom door in his face so many times , that he lost count , and he started sleeping on the couch. Often, in her anger, she hurled objects at him . Whatever was handy at the time. It wasn't long before he started going back to 'The Old Haunt".

He was at 'The Old Haunt' when Meredith went into labor . His mother had found him there to give him the news. They rushed to the hospital and once there, he managed to sober up by drinking hospital coffee and he decided then and there that he was through with getting drunk. He didn't want to be a drunken father, but to be the best father he could possibly be. .

After the baby was born , the nurse handed him a tiny, baby swathed in pink baby blanket.

He gazed into that sweet innocent, face and it was like he had been struck by lightning! It was love. That sudden, inexplicable love that you can only have for your child.

Meredith was not interested in him or the baby. Three days later a nurse came into Meredith's room wanting a name for baby. She turned her face to the wall. So Rick named her Alexis.

When he got Alexis and Meredith home, Meredith went to the bedroom, closing him and Alexis off.

He had no idea how to care for a baby so he called on his mother and she taught him the basics of child care.

He and Meredith rarely spoke and when they did speak , its was always a heated argument no matter how he begged not to fight in front of the baby.

By now, he knew all the signs and would bundle Alexis up and take her out away from the hell that had become their life.

One day, when Alexis was 3, he had a meeting with his publisher and had dropped Alexis off with his mother. After the meeting ,he picked Alexis up and when they got home, he found a note on the counter that simply stated , "I'm leaving. Have a good life! Meredith" . He checked the apartment and found that all of her things were gone and she had indeed left. Good Riddance! he had thought.

He had the love of his child and that was all he needed. There were a lot of single dads, now, he was one of them.

Six months later he heard from a friend in LA who told him that Meredith had moved there, got a small part in a tv series, was having an affair with her producer and had moved into his place in Malibu. A month later. he had received divorce papers from Meredith giving him custody of Alexis.. Without any hesitation, he signed and mailed them back to her . Alexis became the center of his world and they were happy and that was all that mattered.

When Alexis was 6, he started writing for Black Pawn Publishing and he met Gina , his publisher. They went out for business dinners and it was strictly business for a year. Rick had taken sole responsibility for his daughter and she was the love of his life, always coming firs t and always would , but he was a lonely man and been happy to be that way, yet he found himself attracted to Gina.

Business dinners became dates and a year and six months after they met, he found himself proposing to Gina and when Alexis was seven they were married. It was good for a while. He had a mother figure for Alexis and the marriage part wasn't a loss, either.

But Gina became so wrapped up in her career that she soon became distant and then she was more interested in his money and prestige so the fights started and she would accuse him of not letting her in. After 2 years of marriage, they divorced. Love? If this was love, he wanted no part of it! Love only existed in fairy tales and books.

He spent nearly all his time with Alexis and writing and when he did go out, he became the man about town, on the eligible bachelor lists and he was quite content with that. Of course, there were meaningless flings, but he managed to keep all of that away from his daughter.

And then, he met Kate and the love he had missed all his life was now returned to him ten fold. The flight attendant announced that they would be landing at J.F.K . in about 10 minutes. Love, the real deal had finally come to Richard Castle and he could hardly wait to get home!


	3. Chapter 3 The Pharmacy

Chapter 3 The Pharmacy

Kate stood outside Simpson's Pharmacy just down the block from the loft, debating whether to go inside or not.

It was a small place and she had seen no one enter the place in 15 minutes. She glanced at her dad's watch. It was nearly noon , but if she hurried she could be in and out in just a few minutes.

As she pushed through the door, a small bell above the door tinkled. She glanced around and was charmed by the place. It reminded her of pictures she had seen in books of the 1950's.

On her right was a soda fountain, which had a grill and apparently served sandwiches and burgers for the lunch crowd. There was a young woman, (early to mid =twenties) behind the counter. At the rear of the pharmacy was the drug counter where an older couple in their mid fifties worked.

The older woman smiled at her and came around the counter, extending her hand. "Hi! I'm Linda Simpson. My husband and I own this place. Our daughter, Lori runs the grill for us .How can I help you?"

Kate took the extended her hand and said, "Hi. I'm Kate. You have a lovely place here . I'm looking for home pregnancy tests."

"Oh. Those will be over here," Linda replied, leading Kate down an aisle in the center of the pharmacy. "Let me know if I can be of any help, " Linda said and left Kate to make her choice.

Kate took several minutes reading the labels, selected a brand and grabbed 3 as Lanie had suggested. The friendly, older woman looked up and smiled as Kate put her purchases on the counter.

"Oh, wise choice. Our daughter, Lori used this one when she suspected she might be pregnant. This brand was very accurate. We now have our grandson, Jason."

"Congratulations," Kate said politely. The older woman seemed to be studying her face.

"Excuse me , dear. You look awfully familiar. Have we met before?"

A wave of dizziness washed over Kate and she gripped the counter so hard that her knuckles turned white. "No, I don't think so. Could I get some water, please?"

"Sure! Here, let me help you over to that table " the kind older woman said. She came out from behind the counter and took Kate's hand to steady her.

The nausea had passed , but she still felt weak and very tired.

As Linda helped her sit at a small table in the soda fountain area she told her daughter to bring Kate a glass of ice water STAT.

Lori brought the water and Kate mumbled her thanks. As she looked up to thank the younger woman , Linda exclaimed," " I know where I've seen you before! You married our Richard 3 months ago!"

Oh, Hell! There it was! Again ! She couldn't let it happen this way! If the press found out that she was buying home pregnancy tests, it would be in the tabloids within the hour . For crying out loud. She didn't even know for sure and the last thing she needed was for it to be blasted all over page 6!

She studied the older woman's face. . Honest and trust worthy. "You know him?" Kate asked.

"Yeah. He and his family comes in all the time. He used to bring Alexis in here all the time for sodas and burgers. We haven't seen any of them in a while, though. I remember your face from the engagement announcement and the pictures from your wedding."

"Ok, but do you think we could keep this secret? I mean, he's out-of-town and I don't want..." Kate stammered.

Linda put her hand on top of Kate's. "Don't you worry about a thing. We're very discreet here. Richard ducks in from time to time to escape the press as well as have burgers. Your secret is safe with us. Now when was the last time you ate something?" Linda asked.

"Not since last night. I kinda skipped breakfast this morning," Kate answered , remembering the nausea of that morning.

. "Well, we can't have that, especially if you're pregnant. Tell you what. Lori will fix you a burger and shake and then one of us will see you home."

"Thank- you. That's very sweet, but…", Kate started to protest.

"We won't take no for an answer and it's on the house."

Kate smiled and thanked her. She ordered a cheese burger and a strawberry shake, although, she wasn't sure how her stomach would handle it. What ever the hell was wrong with her, she couldn't remember when the last time she had been this sick. Could Lanie and the boys be right? And what if they were? How would she ever tell Rick? Especially when it had been her idea to wait for a while before having kids.

After a few minutes , Lori brought her order and leaned in to speak to Kate.

"You really are very safe here. My mother is a bit chatty, but we mind our own business. Rick is a family friend and has been for years . It will be okay. And FYI, ginger ale and saltine crackers help the nausea."

Kate nodded and thanked her again.

As she prepared to leave, Linda grabbed Kate by the elbow and started for the door. 'I'm seeing you home," she told Kate.

On the short walk to the loft, Linda chatted amicably and Kate found herself liking Linda and her family and the charming pharmacy. At the door to the building, Linda approached the doorman and said,

"It was nice meeting you, Kate, and I hope we can be friends. I hope you'll visit us often. Eduardo, please ,see Mrs. Castle up to her loft safely. Don't be a stranger, Kate."

Kate smiled , placed her hand on Linda's forearm and said, "I won't. And I feel like I've made 3 new friends today. Thank- you." Linda smiled and turned to walk away.

Eduardo approached her. "Are you ok, Mrs. Castle?"

"Yes. Yes, I'm fine , Eduardo, but I think I can see myself in. Thank-you."

"Are you sure.? I don't mind …" Eduardo said.

"No, it's okay . I'm feeling better now."

She entered the loft and sat at the kitchen counter. The nausea had passed and maybe if she ate, she would feel better. She took the burger and fries that Lori had prepared for her out of the bag and began to eat.

She glanced at her dad's watch. Hmmm. Rick still had not called and he normally called her morning, at noon and then again at night. Oh, well. He was probably tied up or may have been too busy to call and would call later.

After lunch, she took the tests and put them under the counter in the bathroom. She would take one in the morning first thing. Or , maybe she should wait until the morning after that when Rick would be home. One more day wouldn't hurt.

Her lunch had revived her some what, but she was still very tired, so she went into the bedroom, opened the drawer and took out one of Rick's freshly laundered tee shirts. She held it to her face and inhaled deeply. It still smelled of his cologne.

Oh, babe. Tomorrow cannot get here soon enough ! I've missed you so much and can't wait until you get here, she thought. She undressed and slipped the tee-shirt over her head.

Her cell phone rang and she looked at the screen for the incoming call. Martha.

"Hello, Martha."

"Katherine, darling. I'm calling to let you know that it will be after midnight when I get home. I'm having a party tonight with my class, so don't wait up for me."

"Okay, Martha. Thanks for calling to let me know. "

"Oh. Oh, oh . I know you're lonely without Richard, darling. Why don't you join us?"

"Oh, no, thanks Martha. I haven't been sleeping well since he left, so I think I'll just order pizza in and stay home tonight. Bu t thanks anyway."

"All right, darling. But if you change your mind, you'll know where we are."

After she hung up from Martha, she curled up on Rick's side of the bed for a nap and quickly fell sound asleep.


	4. Chapter 4 Home At Last

Chapter 4 Home At Last

Rick's plane landed at J.F.K and he now stood at a taxi stand in a cold, pouring rain. He gave the cabbie his address and settled in for the ride home to Kate.

He commented to the cabbie about the weather and the cabbie agreed that it was foul weather and the weather forecasts were predicting snow and sleet through the night with accumulations of 6 inches.

was glad he had cancelled the last leg of his trip and came home a day early. Otherwise, he might have been delayed in Chicago until the weather cleared. He could not wait to get home to snuggle in front of the fireplace with Kate.

God, he had missed her so much. He couldn't wait to hold her , kiss her and love her.

He wondered again about stopping somewhere to buy her a gift, but Sleet had started falling so he decided to wait . He'd make it up to her later. He glanced at his watch, another 20 minutes, at least.

Damn inclement weather, Damn traffic , Damn anything that kept him away from her. Couldn't this cab go any faster?.

"Hey, buddy . Do you think you could drive a little faster?" Rick asked.

"Dude. Do you want to get there in one piece or not ? Do you see this weather, do you even know what traffic is going to be like?" the cabbie answered.

"Sorry, bro. Sorry. I'm just in a hurry to get home." Rick responded.

"Aren't we all?" the cabbie said.

Kate sat up and rubbed her hand across her eyes to wipe the sleep out of them. She had been having the best dream about her and Rick and some child who was nameless , faceless. , but in the dream they were so happy and she couldn't let go of the dream. She glanced at the digital clock on the nightstand. Holy Hell ! She had not meant to sleep this late! It was after 6 p.m.!

Only a little hungry, she thought about getting a piece of fruit and maybe watching some t.v. in the great room. She was half-way across the great room when she heard a key in the lock. It was too late to run and hide and since she was wearing only a tee-shirt...

…

The door opened and Rick walked in.

She stood in the middle of the great room ,unsure if she should flight or fight. Until she realized that it was Rick. When he turned. and saw his beautiful wife, looking very much like the deer caught in the headlights and a very sexy one at that, he had to stifle his laughter with a smile.

He could not wipe the smile off his face if he had to.

"Hey, Honey. I'm home? Come here, you!' "

Relief washed over her. She ran across the room and into his arms, colliding into him so hard he was momentarily knocked off-balance and backwards into the door. He held her close and she was kissing his entire face , whispering, , "You're home, You're finally home. I've missed you so much! I love you!" with each quick kiss.

He chuckled, "Maybe I should go away more often" he teased.

"No. Don't you dare! I've been so miserable without you", she replied.

"I know , honey. Me, too. Hey, are you okay? You seem pale."

She swallowed past the hard lump in her throat and replied, "I 've just missed you . I'll be fine now that you're here." "Where's my mother?" he asked. "She won't be in until late. She's having a party at her studio."

"Good.," he replied tightening his arms around her. He lowered his head to kiss her the way he had longed to for 2 weeks.

One kiss turned into another and another, each one becoming deeper , more urgent. She pulled back slightly, slowly unbuttoning his shirt and resting her hand lightly on his chest .

"I've missed you so much, babe , " she whispered . He leaned down to kiss her again and held her tightly against him .

"I've missed you, too," She lowered her head slightly and kissed him on the chest above his heart. He groaned, running one hand over her body and then slid his hand under the tee-shirt. She moaned softly and whispered in his ear, " Don't stop . Please, don't stop." "Stop? I'm only beginning ," he whispered back. He wrapped both arms around her and gently tugged her up on him. She wrapped her legs around his waist and he carried her to the bedroom.

Later, they got up and she slid a pair of sweat pants and the tee-shirt back on and he put on a pair of pajama bottoms . Rick called in an order for pizza. He placed a blanket on the floor in front of the fireplace and poured them each a glass of her favorite red wine, the kind that made her feel all giddy inside , but she set hers on an end table and they settled on the blanket.

"I'm so glad you're home", she said leaning into give him a sweet kiss. "I didn't expect you home until sometime tomorrow."

"I know. I couldn't stand being away from you one more day, so I cancelled the Chicago tour in order to surprise you, " he replied.

She giggled, "Well, you certainly did that. You scared the hell out of me. You're lucky my gun was in the bedroom. But won't that put you back on Paula's shit list?"

"I don't care if it does. I'll deal with that when the time comes. So, you had dinner at the Ryan's the other night . How was it? " he asked.

A change came over her face. She smiled and a glow came over her.

"Oh, Rick. Sarah Grace is growing leaps and bounds. She's all light and love and pure joy. She's toddling around now and chatters away and she's absolutely precious! After dinner, she crawled up in my lap and snuggled up so close and went right of f to sleep. Kevin and Jenny have never seemed happier and I am so happy for them."

He stroked the side of her face and she kissed his palm. "Sounds like you really enjoyed it.," he said.

"Oh, I did," she replied as she leaned across to give him a sweet kiss.

The buzzer sounded and Rick got up to answer the door. As he was taking care of the pizza delivery guy , Kate took her glass of wine to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge.

As she was settling back on the blanket, Rick went into the kitchen for paper towels, He noticed Kate's untouched wine glass in the kitchen sink and wondered about it. He brought the pizza box and paper towels to the blanket and sat on the blanket with her.

"You didn't drink your wine . Is everything okay?'' he asked."

" It's fine. It's just that my stomach has felt kind of queasy today and I'm not sure how the wine will set. I've probably eaten something that didn't agree with me, that's all."

"Okay", he said sitting back down on the blanket.

As they ate pizza, they talked about his trip, what was happening at the precinct and their friends. She ate 2 slices of pizza and lay on her side watching him eat 4 slices. When he had finished , he closed the box and went to put it in the fridge. He returned to find Kate laying on her stomach gazing into the flames from the fireplace.

He laid down beside her and propped up on one elbow, gazing lovingly at her.

"You are so beautiful and I love you so much," he said, stroking the side of her face. She put her hand on his and said that she loved him, too. She wrapped her fingers around his and brought his hand down to her face, kissing each finger.

That was his undoing. She rolled over onto her back and wrapping her arms around his neck , pulled him down to her. After several long minutes of kissing and touching they began undressing each other again slowly, kissing here, lingering there until the fire of passion consumed them.

Later, he nudged a sleepy Kate awake. "C'mon honey, it's late. Let's go to bed. He pulled her to her feet. Kate, groggy , and sleepily said that it was cold in there. Rick picked up the blanket from the floor and lovingly wrapped it around her and led her by the hand to the bedroom

Kate woke at 5 a.m. and lay in Rick's arms watching him sleep. Her hand rested lightly on his bare chest .She was so glad he was home.

Her thoughts turned to the home pregnancy tests in the bathroom, their conversation just a few hours ago. She really hadn't intended to lie to him. It was just that she needed the time to think about a way to tell him. After all, she may not be pregnant.

It had been her idea for them to wait for at least a year or two before having kids.. He had been so loving and supportive, telling her that when she was ready, he'd be ready, too.

For some reason, the memory came to mind of when they had been discussing wedding dates, Martha had said that there was no perfect time for anything. Perhaps Martha was right and for the first time, the thought that she might actually be pregnant filled her with joy.

Having a little Rick running around , giving Rick the one gift that none of his ex wives had been able to give him , the gift of a son made her extremely happy.

Okay, helping him care for a kidnapped baby last year, watching Sarah Grace being born, and spending an evening with Kevin and Jenny and playing with Sarah Grace did not qualify her for any mother of the year awards , but still. She knew in her heart that loving this man, having his children would be the most important thing she'd ever do. Getting pregnant did not mean she had to end her career. Wrong timing or not, whatever the complications, whatever it took she would gladly do. Together and in love they could overcome all obstacles.

She eased out of his arms and got up. He stirred and she knelt on the mattress beside him, giving him a quick kiss, she whispered, "It's okay , babe. I'm just going to the bathroom. Be right back. "

She gave him another quick kiss and felt his lips move slightly beneath hers. He was still asleep . That was okay. She'd wake him properly and fully in a few minutes.

She went into the bathroom , took one of the tests out from beneath the cabinet below. She read the instructions and carefully placed a hand towel on the counter, the detector on the towel . After she urinated , she took a Dixie cup from the dispenser on the wall and collected a specimen. Having everything in order, she went back into the bedroom to wake Rick.

She knelt on the mattress above him and leaned over to kiss him awake. After a few kisses and gently calling his name, he began to stir. She went and stood in the bathroom door, still gently calling his name.

Still in between the states of sleepiness and waking, he rolled onto his side reaching for her. She was unsure of how she'd tell him ,what she would say to him. and hoped he wouldn't be pissed that she lied to him and withheld the possiblity from him last night.

His hand met the cool sheets and pillow on her side of the bed.

Alarmed , he sat up and she called softly to him again. When he looked to where she beckoned him from the bathroom door, she quietly said, " There's something I need to show you."

"What? Are you ill? " She shook her head no and disappeared into the bathroom.

Upon entering the bathroom, he found her sitting on the bathroom counter.

She took a deep breath and began, " Babe, please, don't be mad, okay?"

"Okay, but why would I be mad?"

"No. Not until you promise me that you won't be mad."

Confused , he said , "Okay, I promise. Now what am I promising not to be mad about.?" She silently moved off of the counter so he could see what she had been hiding behind her.

Stunned, he looked at the kit and back to her. "Is that what I think it is?"

With her head lowered, she shook her head yes.

"But I thought you were protected,,,"

Oh, hell. I am handling this badly, she thought. He saw that she was trembling so he took her hand and said, "Honey, I'm not mad, just confused. "

"I thought we were protected , too. But Lanie said that although the injections were pretty reliable and although rare , some women reported getting pregnant in between injections."

"Lanie knows? " She gripped his hand tighter. "No! Lanie suspects, the boys suspect, but no one knows anything . It was Lanie that convinced me to buy the tests."

"How long have you suspected?" he queried.

"Not until yesterday and that's when I bought the tests. Lanie suggested I take 3 , this is the first one. " Her voice cracked with emotion as she continued. " I was going to wait until you got home before taking it because I want us to find out together."

He put his arms around her and she laid her head against his chest. He kissed the top of her head and asked , " What if the results of these tests are positive? What would that mean to you?"

She hugged him tighter and replied, " I really, really , hope that they turn out that way , but at the same time, it's kind of frightening. I know I don't qualify as mother of the year, and I'm so afraid of not knowing how to be a good mother…"

He tilted her chin up to look into her eyes, "Hey, You learn as you go. You're going to be great, we're going to be great , I promise. "

She smiled up at him. He kissed her sweetly on the lips and then reached across the counter for the detector.

"Now, what do we do with this thing?" , he asked.

"We put it in the cup for 5 seconds, take it out and wait for three minutes," she answered.

He held the detector out to her and she took it. He placed his hand over hers and together they placed it in the cup , counted out the five seconds and both of them removed it from the cup onto the towel.

He hugged her close and said, "This is going to be the longest 3 minutes."

"So, you're not mad at me?" she asked.

"No. With news like this? No. I really hope that stick says positive when we take it out . If it turns out negative, I'm going to be so disappointed , but what about you? How will you feel?"

"Sadly disappointed. I want to give you the ultimate gift - a son," she replied, placing his hand on her abdomen. "If these tests turn out negative, I'm coming off of the injections and letting nature take her course because I want nothing more than to make a baby with you ."

"Kate, I love you more than life itself and always will. Kids or no kids , having you and your love is the ultimate gift , but having kids with you would be the ultimate, ultimate." She stood on her tip toes and kissed him,

"Time is up, " she said and turned to pick up the detector . She looked at the detector and back up at him .

Feeling impatient when she didn't give him the result immediately, he asked, "Well? "

She smiled and handed him the detector. It read "positive". He laughed out loud. "It says 'positive'. Look , honey . It says ' positive! "

"I know , but you are aware that we still have 2 more readings to get, right?"

"Oh, yeah. There is that. But there is still hope."

"Yes, there is still hope", she replied .

He leaned down and kissed her "Okay. If it turns out this way and we have a boy, can we name him Cosmo?"

"What? No! There is NO way I'm going to let you name any of our children Cosmo! "

He smiled down at her, "Oh , c'mon, honey. It s a great name "he teased. "No ! It 's out of the question, not even up for debate, and you're not going to Castle me on this, so don't even try." He smiled "Okay. But can we go back to bed now?" "That I'll agree to, " she replied. They left the bathroom and happily went back to bed.

A/N I don't own anything. All rights belong to their respectful owners. I'd like to give a shout out to Geek MoM who has always been here to support and encourage me all along the way. I am still learning how to navigate FF . I apologize for sending an un edited version out the other day. I was attempting to send only one chapter at a time, and goofed somewhere and that was the result. Here is the edited copy and I hope it's more readable. I am going to leave this story here for now . I am not in a hurry to see this happen on the series quite yet. I am having so much fun watching the character development, the back stories and the natural progression. Where our lovely, talented team of writers and cast take us next, I am happy to follow. Loving this season! Many thanks to all of you who have followed, favorite, and commented. I really appreciate it.


End file.
